Starting Over
by blu3crush
Summary: <html><head></head>(Sequel to the The Sacrifice) - Can we reset and start over again? GSR.</html>
1. Chapter 1

**.Starting Over. **

This is a sequel to the "The Sacrifice". This happened after the airport scene. Do read it if you need some background. I really hope that this season would bring hopes to GSR fans! As what Jorja Fox had posted, we shall keep calm and love GSR. :)

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><p>A veil of awkward silence settled between them during the journey back to their home. Neither Sara nor Grissom had made the first move to reach out to each other or talk.<p>

Sara fidgeted with her wedding band and stole occasionally glances at Grissom who was stoic and his focus was on the passing scenery outside. She could not tell what was going on Grissom's mind. Not that she could always tell what was on Grissom's mind, but now she wanted to know if his return was permanent and what he was going to do with their broken relationship. She did not want him to feel coerced to return because Brass's intervention or because of her near death.

Sara let out an inaudible sigh, which she thought that Grissom had not caught on. She was surprised when Grissom turned to face her. His hands reached for her face and cupped them.

"Sara –" he choked back a sob, "I almost lost you." He cried as he brought his lips to her soft lips that he missed so much.

Time stood still as he kissed her on her lips, her forehead, her nose, her eyes and her cheeks. They ignored the cab driver's gawking. They were in their own world. He missed every part of her, her unique scent, the softness of her lips, and her responsiveness towards him.

They finally pulled away when the need for oxygen became overwhelming.

"I miss you so much," Grissom pulled Sara closer to him and enveloped her in his tight embrace. Sara leaned into his hug as if was the most natural thing. She breathed in his masculine scent.

"Tell me you're going to stay. Tell me you're never going to leave me again," Sara said, her tone almost pleading.

"I am never going to leave you again," he kissed the top of her head.

"We have loads of talking when we reach home," Grissom lifted her left hand and brought her ring finger to his lips. He let his lips caressed her ring finger and their wedding band delicately.

The atmosphere in the cab had changed drastically, from uneasy to pleasant.

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><p>After reaching home, Sara busied herself in the kitchen while Grissom showered.<p>

Sara groaned as she opened the fridge, realizing that she had not stocked up on grocery. She had been ordering Chinese for meals or she would be in the diner with Greg and Nick. She was grateful that she had friends like Greg and Nick. They had been nothing but supportive towards her since Ronald Basderic's episode. She felt guilty for not telling Nick and Greg about Grissom's return. She kept it a secret from others except for Brass, as she did not know if Grissom's return would bode well. Sara sighed as she closed the fridge. This was definitely a sign that things would take for a worst turn.

"Sara," Grissom's hands went around Sara's torso and pressed himself against her.

"Gil, you smelled good," Sara commented after taking a deep inhalation. "It was your bath product." Grissom chuckled as he spun Sara around to face him. Sara took in the sight of Grissom. Grissom was wearing the white terry cloth bathrobe she bought for him for Christmas a few years ago. It was hanging in the bathroom untouched, as Grissom had cancelled every trip back to Las Vegas. Her hands reached out to his face. "You shaved." She commented and let her hands caressed the profile of his face. He nodded, "it's fresher." He enjoyed her touches and missed them dearly.

"May we talk now?" Grissom asked, his eyes boring holes into Sara. He wanted to know more about the stalking, the ordeal she went through, the humiliation she gone through when everyone thought that she was unfaithful and processed by another CSI and the reason behind her decision of becoming the sacrificial lamb.

Sara shook her head, and twisted herself out of Grissom's embrace. She visibly flinched and jumped a few steps behind to keep a distance between Grissom and her. "I need to shower too. I must have stunk. I have nothing in the fridge. Order something if you're hungry. The Chinese takeout pamphlet is on the fridge," Sara made a mad dash for the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

Sara drew in deep breath and let it out slowly to calm herself down. She knew that Grissom wanted to talk but she was not yet ready for it.

"Sara, honey," Grissom knocked on the bathroom door, "are you all right?" Concern and fear were laden in his voice.

"Yes, I'm fine." Sara answered. She turned on the faucet and let the water to run creating an impression she just began showering, hoping that would keep Grissom at bay for at least twenty minutes. There was no doubt that she wanted to have the much-needed talk with him but fear was stopping her. She was not Heather Kessler who could read Grissom's mind or predict his actions. The unknown was scaring her.

"You're never fine when you said 'I'm fine'." Grissom frowned. "May I come in?" Grissom asked.

"NO!" Sara shouted loudly. Grissom ignored Sara and opened the bathroom's door. They never locked the bathroom door as they always welcome each other to join in the bath.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Grissom walked towards Sara who was crying. His heart broke at the sight of a very vulnerable Sara. His arms went around her, enveloping her into his body. She pressed her head onto his chest and wept. She sought solace from him. She felt safe in his embrace. The months of acting strong had taken its toll on her. Her knees went weak and she clung on to him support.

He carried her out the bathroom and gently placed her on their bed. "Don't go." Sara cried when she felt he moved away from the bed.

"I'm getting a washcloth. I will be back soon." Grissom soothed gently, patted her hands and then made a beeline for the bathroom. He returned with a warm washcloth and wiped Sara's face tenderly.

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><p>Grissom joined Sara on the bed. His hands entwined with hers. They were both staring at the white ceiling.<p>

"Honey," Grissom started, turned and propped himself up with his elbow.

"I am scared," Sara sighed, and squeezed her eyes shut, "when I was in the same room with Doyle White. I thought I was not afraid of dying but I was terribly wrong. When he pointed his gun at me, my legs almost gave way. He sang that song. It sent a chill down my spine when I joined him to sing. I thought of the night… when Natalie took me, and placed me under that car out in the desert. I did not want to die then; I fought for my life, I struggled to be freed, I cursed at those ghosts who taunted me because I wanted to see you again. When I was in the bank, I had nothing to fight for anymore. I just wanted to die. I wanted him to end my life yet at the same time I was so scared. He said that we're all broken. Natalie. Him. Me. Of which, I agreed with him wholeheartedly. We're broken like that bisque doll. No one could fix us back."

"Honey," Grissom scooted nearer to Sara, wanting to hold her.

Sara shook her head, "Let me finish if not we will never get this past us."

Sara took a deep breath before continuing. "Doyle came from an abusive family. His parents were both drug addicts and alcoholic. They whipped him whenever they were high or they were out of money, which was a frequent affair. They sold him to pedophiles for money to buy drugs or beers. Those pictures in his case file were heartbreaking. He suffered from malnourishment. His cheeks were sunken. His eyes were weary. It was until Ernie Dell that he finally called a place home. When Ernie Dell committed suicide to protect Natalie Davis, he went from a relatively successful engineer to a drug addict. He blamed us for forcing Ernie Dell to a corner. He hated us for causing his death. I could see in his eyes that he wanted me to die."

Sara paused and turned to face Grissom. She squeezed his hands.

"My eyes were squeezed tightly together when his finger was poised on the trigger. I thought of you. My heart wrenched in pain. I remembered the last email you sent, the last conversation we had, the pains you had brought me over the years. Then death did not seem so taunting or frightening. The shot was fired and I was expecting pain but there was none. I opened my eyes and saw Doyle on the floor writhing. His blood was all over me. I could not remember how I was brought out from the bank. The EMTs tended to me and I was sheltered from the media. Then Brass came. Then I heard your voice. Suddenly I felt life was worth living."

They realized they were both crying.

"Do you think we have the chance to start all over again?" Sara asked.

"Yes. We do." Grissom answered with a kiss on Sara's lips.

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><p><strong>TBC. <strong>

Another chapter, and it will end this. They have yet to talk about Ronald Basderic. Thank you. Appreciate your thoughts on this.


	2. Chapter 2

**.Starting Over. **

A/N: hope you will enjoy this chapter.

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><p>Grissom kept his breathing even, not wanting to wake Sara up who had passed on from exhaustion and was sleeping on his chest. His free hands were stroking Sara's head affectionately. The separation had taken its toll on the both of them. He could not function well, knowing that he had pushed the woman he loved the most away. Sara was depressed, and turned to pills and alcohol for solace.<p>

He regretted his decision of asking a separation before clarifying with Sara. He regretted believing falsified evidences rather than Sara. He almost destroyed Sara. It seemed that he was always the cause of Sara's near death. Tears slid down his cheeks as the horrifying memories of Natalie Davis abducting Sara and trapping her under the car flooded his mind.

He was terrified when Natalie Davis went into a trance in the interrogation room. He was lost when he could not get Sara's location from Natalie Davis. He hated Natalie Davis then and almost wanted to throttle her to death when she kept chanting that song. The feeling of dread filled his heart when he found the body in the desert. He could not bear identifying the body and Catherine had to step in. He could not describe how he felt when they found the mustang but not Sara. There was this pounding pain at the back of his head and the agonizing clench of his heart. He could only remember the pain and helplessness. He vowed that he could never subject Sara into dangerous situation when he was in the helicopter, holding her hands. He also swore to protect her and love her but he broke his promise. He failed to love, protect and cherish her. He could not fathom why he had not from experience and cherish Sara.

"I love you. Sara, I really do. You may believe otherwise now but I am going to do everything to gain your trust and love back." Grissom confessed. Sara snuggled closer to him and he wrapped his arms around her tighter.

Finally, he slipped into a peaceful sleep with Sara beside him. They both welcomed the much long-awaited restful sleep they both needed after the separation.

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><p>The next morning, Grissom woke up after a well-rested night. He glanced at the clock and the red digits showed "11:00 AM". He smiled inwardly realizing that Sara and he had slept for more than eight hours without any disruption. There were days after he served Sara the separation papers where he could not bear closing his eyes. Whenever he closed his eyes, various images of Sara would fill his mind. There would be an excruciating pain stabbing his heart whenever he thought of Sara.<p>

He could never forget the man's taunting and Sara's moans of pleasure over the phone. Age gap had always been an issue for him. It had always bothered him. He was constantly worried that Sara might just leave him for someone younger. Despite Sara's constant assurance in the earlier stage of the budding romance, that she loved him, he still had some doubts about her love. He still sometimes kept Sara at an arm length to protect his heart. He loved her but he did not give her the whole of his heart.

When he went to Costa Rica to find Sara, he had casted away all of his doubts and loved Sara wholeheartedly. They went to Paris because he had an offer from Sorbonne as a guest lecturer. They married in a small church at a spur of the moment when they were exploring the busy streets of Paris.

They settled in Paris while applying for grants for their research and the response for the lecture was positive and the board of directors from the Sorbonne offered him a contract for teaching.

They were elated when they found out about Sara's pregnancy after all the hardships Sara had to endure. He started to turn his study into a nursery. They argued about the color of the paint, placement of cot and rocker chair. Despite the arguments, they had so much fun and laughter.

However, their short-lived happiness was ripped away from them cruelly when Sara woke up in pain late in the night. It was an agonizing night. Sara stayed in the bed, waiting for the life in her ebbed away. She wept in silence, gripping the sheets tightly to ride out the pains. He could not do anything but offer his comfort to her and bringing her glasses of water to keep her hydrated. The bleeding stopped and he brought Sara to the hospital for checkup. When she was in the hospital, he went home to strip the bed sheet from the bed and threw it away. He cleaned, sterilized and flipped the bed. He kept all baby stuffs in the nursery and locked the nursery. He did not want Sara to be reminded of her miscarriage.

He started to avoid Sara after the miscarriage. He clocked extra hours in the university. He brought work back to home and stayed in the small room he had temporarily changed into his study to make way for the nursery. Sara left him alone, dealing with her grieve alone. He did not attempt to reach out because he did not know how to deal with such loss. They were both devastated over the loss of their child but they were too stubborn to admit they needed each other to deal with the grief.

He was not ready when Sara wanted another child a few months later. He was unable to understand how she could walk out of the loss so fast. Truth be told, he resented her for being able to bounce back while he was still in the deep end of the abyss. Sex had become meaningless then. He was unable and could not make love to Sara anymore.

When Ecklie called if he could recommend competent CSI, he recommended Sara. He urged Sara to go back to Las Vegas. It did not take much persuasion for Sara to accept the job offer. Sara knew something was off but she said nothing. She feared communication as much as he did. They did not talk about his erectile dysfunction but she tried her best to spice up their sex life. It did not help. He knew that his erectile dysfunction was psychological.

The physical distance between them did help their relationship initially but as times passed, it had driven a deeper wedge between them. She became to feel bitter about his absence in his life and he started to believe she was lonely and found someone else.

Swallowing the lump that formed in his throat, Grissom pulled Sara closer to him. "Sara Honey. I am always scared that you would abandon me for someone else. The reason why I always keep you away is because you have the ability to rip my heart out and tear in to million pieces."

"You know I would never do that," Sara's eyes fluttered open slowly.

"I know now," Grissom kissed the top of Sara's head.

Sara smiled brightly. "Am I going to wake up to you flushed against me every day from now on?"

Grissom nodded. "Tell me about Ronald Basderic."

Sara let out a sigh. "First thing, Ronald Basderic is a creep and a stalker."

**TBC.**

It might have 2 more chapters for this. I know my updates had become erratic again for some stories. Please bear with me for the time being, as this time of the year is the busiest time for my work. :( I am going to update "I Never Told You" soon. Thanks for all the comments left.

gsrlover1: I think it was a twitter message with an image that Jorja Fox tweeted. Greg and Sara, now, I guess, enjoyed a brother/sister like relationship. I sure hope that it will not change as I am still bearing hopes for their Grissom and Sara reunion.


	3. Chapter 3

**.Starting Over. **

A/N: Thank you, Gilbertgal7, stlouiegal, gsrfan34, and gsrlover1 for taking your time to leave a comment. Thank you so much for taking the time to read. Quite a bit of dialogues, hope you do not mind. Enjoy!

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><p>"Ronald Basderic was stalking Edie. Edie was a server from Frank Diner. I tried to help her with a restraining order but it was not granted, as Basderic was smart enough to stay at the boundary. He claimed that he loved Edie but what he did to her terrorized her. She could not leave the diner after her shift that fateful day. Basderic was waiting outside the diner, watching her. She rather stayed in the diner. She would not have died if she returned home. I blamed Basderic for Edie's death. He might not have been the perpetrator but he indirectly caused Edie's death. I hurled him in for an interrogation. It made me sick when he claimed that he loved her and he looked into my eyes and told me that I was wrong about him. The worst was I was wrong about him being the murderer." Sara heaved a sad sigh.<p>

She knew that her objectivity was tainted in that case. She did overlook a few evidences that would point her to another direction. She wanted the perpetrator to be Basderic. She wanted him to pay for the crimes. She hated how smug he was when she was proven wrong. She thought when he walked out of the Police Department, it would be the last she heard of him but she was terribly wrong.

Grissom slid his hands into Sara's hands and gave it a firm squeeze, giving her support. Sara gave Grissom a slight smile, brought their intertwined hands to her lips, and pressed a loving kiss on the back of Grissom's hands.

"Basderic started stalking me shortly after Edie's death." Sara shuddered at the thought that she did not notice Basderic who was shadowing her every step. He followed her home, to her workplace and even to her crime scenes. She did not notice the same black sedan, which followed her.

Noticing Sara's discomfort, Grissom pulled her closer towards him and wrapping his arms around her protectively.

"It still frightened me," Sara leaned her head on Grissom's chest and reveled in Grissom's protectiveness, "how easy Basderic had accessed to our home and my prescription. Do you still remember that I was prescribed Zolpidem for my insomniac?"

Grissom nodded, "I thought you stopped taking them."

"Yes. I stopped them when we were trying for a baby. When you started to distance yourself from me after the miscarriage, I took them again. I could not sleep. Whenever I closed my eyes, I heard baby's cries. When exhaustion eventually claimed me, I would have this recurring nightmare of me on the bed, bleeding. The iron in the air was suffocating. I was reliving the night when I miscarried. I was so helpless. I woke up in cold sweat. I have never been so despondent in my life when you were not there when I reached over to your side of the bed. I just wanted you to hold me and comfort me." Tears seeped down Sara's cheeks as she sniffled. Grissom felt his heart clenched painfully as he smoothed his thumb over Sara's cheeks, to wipe away her tears.

"I'm sorry, Sara. I never had the chance to apologize for my actions in Paris. I am sorry, I really am. Till this day, I still could not forget your agonizing cries." Grissom's apology was sincere.

"I stood over the bed watching helplessly while you bled and the life we had created slowly ebbed away. The miscarriage affected the both of us, you physically and mentally, and me, mentally. I could never forget your look when you said the baby is gone." Grissom wept. Despite it had been a few years, it still hurt when he talked about that night when they lost their baby. The pains just did not go away silently. It still haunted him.

Sara gasped, stunned by Grissom's revelation of his pains. It had never occurred to her that Grissom would be affected by the miscarriage too.

"I never thought that you would be affected by the miscarriage. You kept all the baby staffs and locked the nursery," Sara said, letting her hands to caress the side of Grissom's face. She wiped away his tears gently.

"Why do you think I would not be affected? The baby was mine too. I kept all the baby staffs because I did not want them to upset you." Grissom became defensive. "I watched you bled. I watched the life in your stomach died. How could I not be affected? I loved the baby as much as you do. I might not be the one who endured the physical pains but mentally, I suffered as much as you did." Grissom pushed Sara away and hopped out of the bed, wanting to keep a distance between them. He paced around the room, finger firmly on the pulse point of his neck. He could feel his blood pressure shooting up.

"I need to take a walk outside," Grissom looked at Sara and his heart told him not to leave Sara alone. But he knew that if they continued on the topic, he would have an outburst and tell her that he had actually irrationally blamed her for the miscarriage and resented her for wanting another child

He ignored when Sara reached out for him. He did not meant to be so cruel but he was afraid of saying things that could damage their delicate relationship beyond repair. "Sara, I am sorry. I need to be alone for a while," Grissom said, and quickly went into the bathroom to dress.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, he was surprised to find Sara dressed up in her white tank top and short khaki pants, waiting for him.

"Don't ever shut me out again." Sara frowned. "Our marriage failed because we don't communicate." Sara sighed. "We shut each other out whenever we had problems."

The bed sagged as Grissom took the empty space beside Sara.

"Honey, I am not good at communication. I have been a loner for most part of my life. I was nine when my father died. My father was my best friend." Grissom paused slightly at the mention of his father. He had never addressed his father's death to anyone, except recalling briefly how his father died to Catherine.

"No one told me what happened. I just remembered the funeral and the burial. My mother was weeping. I could not cry because I did not understand then that my father was gone forever. My mother lost her hearing shortly after my father's funeral. There were no sounds in our home since my father died. I stopped listening to the radio and watching the TV because these were the activities that I enjoyed with my father. I became more withdrawn. I started being a ghost in school. I spent more times with dead animals than people."

Sara scooted nearer to Grissom and wrapped her slim arms around his huge frame. "Do you know why I wanted another child so soon?"

Grissom shook his head. He never knew the reason of why Sara wanted another child so soon.

"I am afraid of losing you." Sara bit her bottom lips hardly. "You became distant after losing the baby. I wanted us to be on the same page again. I wanted us to be happy and in love. Thus, I suggested having another go at pregnancy. Your face practically lit up when you knew we are having a baby."

"I was devastated when you could not make love to me. I thought that I must have disgusted you. I reminded you of an inept woman. My heart broke when you suggested that I should take up Ecklie's offer nonetheless I came back to Las Vegas because it would make you happy if I leave. I stayed because you did not ask me to join you in whichever part of the world you were." Sara could not help feeling that her marriage was officially in ruins. Their frank conversation had brought too much unhappy memories.

"Gil, I love you." Sara planted a kiss on Grissom's left cheek. "I did not want you to feel trapped in this relationship because you felt responsible for me or because Brass asked you to come back because I was in peril. I love you and the greatest act of love is to let go."

Sara stood up and ran out of the bedroom as fast as her wobbly legs allowed her.

"Sara!" Grissom shouted, while in pursuit for Sara. He disregarded the searing pains in his knees as he ran out of the house. He could not catch up with Sara. He berated himself for neglecting exercising. He looked around frantically, hoping that something gave him a hint of where Sara went.

Then he heard a deafening bang round the corner of the road.

He almost gave way when he saw the blood oozing out under the large sedan.

"Please, God, I beg you. Don't let it be Sara." He approached the scene and swallowed the huge, burning lump in his throat.

"SARA!" He screamed when he saw the familiar pair running shoe lying on the asphalt road.

"No. No. No." Grissom chanted as he blacked out.

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><p>TBC.<p>

I think I should change the genre from Romance to Angst. =P

gsrlover1: They are more like sibling. Yes, I am hoping that they would finally address GSR soon in this season. Give Grissom back to Sara and vice versa. ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**.Starting Over. **

A/N: Thank you very much for reading. :) This would be wrap up in the next chapter.

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><p>Sara sprinted out of the house without even bothering to change into her pair of trusty running shoes. She just wanted to get out of the house quick. The atmosphere in there was suffocating. She could not believe that she just gave Grissom the option to leave again.<p>

She ran down the road at her fastest speed, ignoring how rough asphalt cut into her sole and the small stones that got into her bedroom slippers. She knew that Grissom could not catch up with her. She dashed across the road and into the park where she used to bring Hank to for his walk.

She panted heavily as she cooled down from the run. She had not been in the park for more than one year. She avoided this area of the neighborhood since Hank's death.

She looked at the surrounding and found that the park was deserted. It used to be bustling with energetic children who played at the playground, dog owners walking their dogs, and elderlies doing their daily exercises. Now, it seemed abandoned. The trees were not maintained. The playground was bordered up with red tape and a sign erected to caution children and parents from entering the playground as it was dangerous.

Sara hobbled to the nearest bench and sat down to rest. She brought her legs near to her chest and wrapped her arms around them protectively. She missed Hank. The canine's death was unexpected. She came home one day after shift and found Hank whimpering, and curled into a ball on the floor.

She rushed Hank to veterinarian. The veterinarian told her that an unknown virus attacked Hank. He suggested euthanasia to end Hank's suffering as Hank was in great pains. The virus had damaged most of Hank's vital organs. Each passing hour was pure agony for Hank.

She could not believe that Hank was dying. The previous night, she brought Hank out for a run and he looked fine. There was no indication that he was ill.

Hank was a gift to her from Grissom. He got Hank from the shelter after the West Sibling case. He heard from the team that how Hannah West manipulated the jury by confessing to the murder, casting reasonable doubts into the case. The jury found Marlon West not guilty of the murder. Grissom knew that this case had bothered Sara despite he was not in town during the trial.

Grissom could not find Sara in his townhouse when he returned from his out of town conference. Their bed did not appear to be slept in and the food he bought before his conference was untouched too.

He found her in her apartment, sleeping on the green couch, in his pullover and boxer shorts.

She seemed so frail and lonely. He did not want her to be alone when he was out of town for some assignments or conferences, thus he decided to get them a dog. Hank was their shared responsibility and it was a sign, to Sara, that Grissom wanted to have a long-term relationship and not a short fling.

Back then, Sara had doubts that Grissom was able to commit to their relationship. She did not know what propelled Grissom to start a relationship with her. She was afraid that he might flee when he had the chance.

Hank was a turning point for them. It showed that Grissom was willing and able to commit to her. She gave up her apartment and moved in with Grissom. She did not have much of her stuffs in Grissom's townhouse because she always thought that she would be moving out when Grissom realized that he did not want to have a relationship with her.

She tried contacting Grissom. She did not want to make a decision without him. But she was unable to contact him as he was in some deep mountainous areas with no cell reception.

She could not bear watching Hank suffering thus she went ahead with the decision to euthanize Hank without consulting Grissom. She held Hank's paws in her hands and whispered her apologies as the veterinarian injected Hank. She could not stop her tears from flowing as she watched Hank died. It was a peaceful death but the guilt gnawed at her conscience.

She cremated Hank and buried him at the front yard. When she told Grissom about Hank's death, Grissom was oddly calm and passive. When their phone call disconnected, she felt their ties had completely severed.

Sara buried her face into her hands and wept.

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><p>Grissom felt that he was being lifted up and placed onto the stretcher. He heard familiar voices. He thought that it belonged to Nick.<p>

"Sara," he moaned. He tried his best to open his eyes but his eyelids felt heavy.

"Grissom, you will be okay," Nick assured him and he felt a firm squeeze on his hands.

"Sara," he muttered again. He did not want the paramedic to attend to him. He wanted them to focus on Sara. She was pinned under the sedan. She was bleeding profusely. "Save her," he lifted his finger and pointed to the sedan direction.

Nick looked towards the direction Grissom pointed and understood immediately. "Grissom, Sara is not under the sedan. It was someone else." Nick explained soothingly. He gave the go to signal to the paramedics. The paramedics pushed Grissom into the ambulance.

"Desert Palms. We're going to the Desert Palms." The paramedics told Nick before shutting the door.

Nick nodded and turned his focus back to bloody scene.

He was on his way to Sara's house. He heard about the car accident on the police scanner. As he was nearest to the scene, he informed Russell he will be responding to the car accident.

What he did not expect was Grissom lying on the road.

Sara did not tell them about Grissom's return.

All he knew that Sara took a few weeks off from work. She simply told them she needed a few weeks off to settle some personal issues.

Nick sighed as he realized how little trust Sara had in them. Nick could not blame her, as they had readily believed that she committed adultery when there were signs of her in Taylor Wynard's hotel room. Moreover, Sara had never approached them for help. She usually kept to herself. However, whenever they had problems, they would turn to her for help. Sara was their compass and she never rejected their call for help.

He wondered where Sara was and why Grissom fainted on the road alone.

Nick pulled out his iPhone from his pocket and dialed Sara's phone. He cursed when Sara did not pick up his phone.

"Where're you, Sara?" Nick frowned as he redialed Sara's phone.

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><p>The afternoon sun began to stream into the park. The temperature had also climbed a few notches.<p>

Sara was not one who perspired easily but she felt her tank top was soaked with her sweat and it clung onto her.

She stretched herself to rid the kinks out of her muscles. She realized she had stayed in this park for at least a few hours.

Her wedding band gleamed in the sun. Her thumb caressed her ring lovingly. She knew that she could no longer hide from Grissom.

She pulled her wedding band off her ring finger, realizing that they could never mend their relationship. It was broken beyond repair.

She choked back a sob as she kissed her wedding band one last time.

She began the walk back to the house slowly, her steps heavy.

She wished Hank were by her side now.

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><p>A beam of bright light shone into Grissom's eyes and he winced at the sudden intrusion. He groaned.<p>

"Sara, Sara, Sara," he muttered. "Where's Sara?" he asked.

His limbs trashed around in frustration as the doctors ignored his question.

"Dr. Grissom, please stay calm," the nurses pinned Grissom down as the doctor sedated Grissom.

"Where's my wife? I just want my wife." Grissom cried as darkness engulfed him.

All he wanted was his Sara, his wife, his soul mate and his best friend. Nick told him that Sara was not under the sedan but he could not believe him.

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><p>Although Sara was prepared for the worst, she could not help but to feel dejected when she returned to an empty house.<p>

The urge to drink became overwhelming. She gulped down a glass of water trying to resist the urge. She promised Brass that she would not drink to avoid her problems. She intended to keep to her promise.

She forced herself to walk out of her kitchen, away from her secret stash of hard liquor. She could not keep reaching to alcohol to numb herself whenever she had issues. She did not want to be like her mother who turned to alcohol whenever she needed to escape from the reality.

Sara sat on the green couch. This was the green couch from her old apartment and it meant a lot to her. She remembered sitting in this couch as she divulged her deepest, darkest secret to Grissom and he held her hand as she cried. She poured out her heart that afternoon when he came over to find out the reason why she was so angry.

When she moved into his townhouse, she put all of her furniture on sales except for this green couch. She held special feelings for this couch.

She curled herself into a ball and shrank further back into the couch.

"SARA!" Nick banged on Sara's door.

"Go away, Nick. I am exhausted." Sara pressed her palms over her ears, fully intending to disregard Nick.

"SARA SIDLE, I swear I will break your door if you don't open it." Nick threatened angrily.

"Fuck you, Nick." Sara swung the door open and stared at Nick menacingly.

"Let's go, Grissom is in Desert Palms." Nick dragged Sara out of the house and pushed her into his car.

"What?" Sara was confused. She thought Grissom had left.

"He fainted near a crime scene. He thought the woman pinned under the sedan was you. The paramedics brought him to Desert Palm. I tried calling you but it was rolled over to voicemail." Nick explained.

"Is he okay?" Sara asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I called the hospital to check on his condition. Grissom is fine. His blood pressure was high and he was agitated. They had sedated him. He could discharge in a few days if his blood pressure stabilized." Nick assured Sara.

"He's looking for you. Where were you? He's worried about you." Nick recounted.

* * *

><p>Hey, at least Sara is not the one under that sedan. Please comment!<p> 


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